[Docrwm]

Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: Would you buy a Pentax?

Anyone want to jump in?

[LeDave]

Time to modify my post of the K-7 review and re-post that up in that B!

EDIT: OK done it with my sister's Amazon account.

I have a Pentax K-5. Great camera, big improvement in low-light AF from previous Pentax DSLR's. One thing you must know is Pentax is one of the very few companies who make in-body stabilized DSLR's and used the same mount since film, allowing all current 3rd party lenses and manual lenses from 30 years ago to work on this body and still maintain optical stabilization. Huge advantage for Pentax over it's competitors, but sadly the world is brainwashed by what they see in Best Buy and the advertisements.

Pentax builds cameras for photographers and hobbyists at the best of their ability. Pentax does not create 3 DSLRs in the same class, pricing them one over another after stripping features. Pentax are a loyal company to their loyal consumers; you will never see them screw their consumers over by producing a bunch of half-baked bodies and advertise them as everything. They make one DSLR for entry-level and one DSLR for semi-pro and putting all they have to offer for a more than reasonable price.

Aside from the quality of Pentax's craftsmanship throughout the years, the superb build quality of the K-5 is not to be forgotten, that Pentax is the first Japanese company to release the SLR and their creativity literally created everything that made the DSLR what it is today. Over 50 years of producing some of the finest film SLR's and DSLR's, one of the oldest companies to still produce cameras today, all of Pentax's innovation and time spent have been put into creating this masterpiece. The best rated APS-C sensor on top of 77 weather-seals making it resistant to dust, rain, and cold temperatures, this is truly one of the most powerful Pentax built to date.

Sometimes the best just don't get talked about, in fact most of the best things in life don't get talked about. Most people can't think for themselves. Out of all the people in the world, only a very select few who knows what's best for themselves. People don't come to realize the best things in life until it's too late. I'm glad to be part of the few who figured it out for myself. I do things in life that's best for me, not what others think is best for me. I go Pentax when others say otherwise, because when I held a Pentax in my hands for the very first time, I knew that was it. This camera was it. This company was it. These lenses are it. This is it, this is Pentax.

[luftfluss]

Very nice post, Tiffany.

[RobA_Oz]

Done, though it's unfathomable to me how people can get so worked up with so little knowledge of a subject. Good thing nothing like that happens around here!

[luftfluss]

Perhaps someone could post a link to the JD Power survey, which ranks Pentax as #1 in Online Customer Satisfaction...

Pentax Ranks Highest in Online Buyer Satisfaction with DSLR Cameras | PhotographyBLOG

[Docrwm]

Done, though it's unfathomable to me how people can get so worked up with so little knowledge of a subject. Good thing nothing like that happens around here!

ROFLMAO!

[jogiba]

And my Canon SLRs can use any telescope with a 1.25" or 2" eyepiece tube as a lens

Personally, while I've always ranked Pentax as an entry-level camera(in terms of features when compared to others of the same generation), I would avoid them NOW until the current owner of the /name/ has developed at least a five year history.

Wow, how clueless some people are.

---

Last edited by jogiba; 07-13-2012 at 04:20 PM.

[EdwardConde]

D. Teoli says:
Eric is right. Pentax can give pro reults, no question bout that.

But, the pro will have a hard time getting many of the Pentax items in a timely fashion. Pros can't screw around like that...time is $$. When they need something for a shoot they need it NOW!

My response was: Ever heard of Amazon Prime? 2 Day delivery (FREE) or $3.99 next day delivery.. Just saying...

If you need something quick or in a timely fashion, that photog should have planned better

[photolady95]

I didn't jump in, but I did enjoy reading all the myths that come when people start talking trash about Pentax....

[sb in ak]

I usually have the good sense not to join in, but couldn't help it.

[Docrwm]

Wow, some truly ignorant posts. Some of the responses are sad in their inability to deal with what was actually written. I love the one that shifts from WR to immersion not being good for the lens and the one that impunes Dxo as a source for sensor performance.

[mikeSF]

i threw mine in too:

mike o says:

I can't blame the haters. As with anything, we tend to fear what we do not understand. I recall as a kid, playing with the other neighborhood kids and hearing stories of the ominous high fence and strange building adjacent to us that was a convent. We were told to never go over the fence because "nuns lived there and like to eat kids". I heard they were called Catholics and so I lived in fear...until I learned I myself was a Catholic and the activities at my own church were quite tame...if not entirely boring.

Anyhow, not everybody drives a Honda or Toyota, and just because the "big two" are big, doesn't necessarily mean they offer the best possible camera for every application. Pentax is an old company with a celebrated heritage. Esoteric in some ways, and to the extent that you never find Pentax ads plastered all over your favorite Photography mag or TV commercials with hot young pretty people at parties, they tend to go unseen by the general public. Does it mean they make irrelevant gear? of course not.

I am a semi-pro landscape photographer & no matter how much I try to baby and protect my gear, I know that once in awhile my camera is going to get splashed by seawater, covered in dust, drenched in fog/condensation, dropped on rocks or concrete, etc. Like it or not, that day will come. I also know that many do not realize what a perfect choice Pentax is for the landscape photographer. Features include: Metal bodies, extensive weather sealing, in-body stabilization, a GPS/compass accessory that embeds map coordinates into the EXIF data and tracks moving stars, electronic level/horizon straightening, high ISO sensor performance that rivals every camera in its class, one button auto bracketing, one button metering for manual lenses, innovative hyperprogram and Tav modes, and others. On top of this, you can use ALL K-mount and screwmount lenses going back to the 1950's, and they ALL benefit from in-body stabilization. Somebody posted that these are hard to find but in my first 6-months with Pentax, I amassed a fantastic collection of quality vintage lenses, just by browsing Craigslist and eBay. Some of my best lenses were $20-$40.

I shoot prime lenses and not everybody is aware that Pentax offers the full range of good fast primes including the FA31, FA43, and FA77. These are beautifully built, exceptional lenses and all are full frame, should Pentax release a FF camera in the future.

I'm just saying, it's worth a look. Good luck!

[jtkratzer]

I love the expression that you shouldn't argue with an idiot on the street (or the internet) as passersby won't be able to tell the difference. I just have a hard time abiding to that expression.

[Ellen Passenheim]

Rugged and durable in the field, the Pentax takes a back seat to no camera made. Cannot say enough about the performance of my Pentax.

[Rondec]

A hard discussion. There really aren't many "bad" SLRs that are made right now, but there are certainly some that won't fit an individual's needs. At the same time, there is an awful lot of smoke blown by Nikon/Canon users, who use the upper end camera gear to validate their choice of a D5100. Certainly, Pentax cameras really are sealed and they offer a lot of decent lenses that are sealed as well. May not be important to everybody, but if you are a hiker/outdoors type person, this and small size of gear could be the tipping point to make you go with Pentax or Olympus over the "big boys."